Axminster setting frame



Oct 0, 1942. M. B. PENMAN EIAL 'AXMINSTER SETTING FRAME Filed M 8, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 20, 1942. 3 PENMAN ETAL' 2,299,587

AXMINSTER SETTING FRAME Filed May 8, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 20, 1942. M. B. PENMAN ETAL AXMINSTER SETTING FRAME Filed May 8, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 07 j' /iedr .M AM/ Oct; 20, 1942. M. a. PENMAN mm. AXMINSTER SETTING FRAME Filed May 8, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 'llllllllll" lll W10 m M 2 Q). a .1] u 1. Z P 4 MW .lll

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Patented Oct. 20, 1942 AXMINSTER SETTING FRAME Montgomery B. Penman and John Lyle, Bloomsburg, Pa., assignors to Magee Carpet Company, Bloomsburg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 8, 1940 Serial No. 334,042

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for assembling and winding pile yarns in predetermined laterally abutting relation to each other on the tuft spools of looms adapted for weaving AX- minster carpets.

In weaving Axminster carpets, there is a tuft spool employed for each transversely extending row of pile tufts in the carpet; and there is a single pile yarn wound on each spool for each pile tuft in the particular transverse row represented by any particular tuft spool.

The tuft spools are arranged in the order of the rows they respectively represent on the spool carrier conveyor of the loom, to be brought successively into registry with a definite station on the loom adjacent the fell of the carpet being woven, at which the registered spool and its carrier are removed from the conveyor and passed through a course of travel in which the ends of the yarns projecting from yarn guiding tubes on the spool car iers are laid in position between the warps of the carpet at the fell in advance of a weft thread being passed through the open warp shed across the laid-in ends of the pile yarns before the shed changes to tie the weft and the pile ends in place. The laid-in ends of the pile yarns are then severed from the yarns near the ends of the tubes to form a row of tufts, after which the carrier and its spool are restored in their proper place on the conveyer. The conveyor then advances one step to bring the next succeeding tuft spool into registry with the mechanism for lifting the carrier off the conveyor for a repeat of the operations just described.

Prior to the tuft spools being mounted in the conveyer of the loom, the yarns which form the tufts are assembled in predetermined laterally adjacent order in slots or dents of a separating comb or reed in accordance with the color requirement of each individual tuft in the particular transverse line on the pattern represented by the particular spool about to be wound.

The yarns are led to the proper dents in the separating comb from individual supply spools which are mounted on vertical spindles projecting upwardly from a horizontal table lying behind the separating comb.

The operator of the setting-up frame is required to shift the positions of at least some of the supply spools on the table for each and every individual row of pile tufts as called for on the designers diagram, from which the operator works, unless two or more transverse rows of tufts in the design are identical, in which latter 55 case the desired number of tuft spools are wound from the single set up of the supply spools.

Some designs are of such symmetrical character With respect to the longitudinal center line of the carpet that the pattern may be divided into two or more longitudinal strips by said center line and /or a plurality of laterally spaced parallel division lines, with various different parts, unit areas, or motifs of the design interchangeably positioned in the various strips throughout the length of any single longitudinal repeat of the design as a whole, i. e. with one part of the design located in one strip at one place along the length of the repeat and in another strip at another place along the length of the repeat, and with other parts correspondingly distributed in the various strips respectively Within the single repeat of the design.

Ordinarily, after the operator has set-up the supply spools for Winding a tuft spool for a row extending across the several strips with interchangeable, parts of the design in the several strips respectively, it is necessary for the operator to change the positions of the supply spools one by one from position for one of the various strips into position for another of the strips when setting-up the supply spools for a different row in which the design parts are merely changed from one strip to another.

The object of the invention is to eliminate for the above noted spool for spool change on the supply-pool table in cases where two or more tuft rows are similar except for the positions of the design parts being interchanged in the strips.

Each strip is represented by a group of supply spools and according to the principles of the present invention the supply spool table is divided into as many parallel sections as there are parallel strips in the design, with the group of supply spools for the several strips respectively carried by the corresponding parallel sections of the table, whereby, when an interchange of design parts is required from strip to strip it is only necessary to shift the table sections mechanically so that the groups of supply spools may be transferred bodily from position for one strip into position for another strip, thus affording a considerable saving of time and eliminating the possibilities of error commonly occurring in the manual spool for spool transfers under the prior art practices.

The construction and operation of the device forming the subject of the present invention will be fully disclosed hereinafter, reference being :had to the accompanying drawings, of which;

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the preferred form of device;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the yarn separating comb;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of the tuft yarns being wound on a tuft spool;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a simple form of design of the interchangeable motif type for which the present invention is particularly adaptable;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged detail of one of the design motifs shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a front view of a modified form of sectional table and operating mechanism within the scope of the invention;

Fig. 9 shows the sections of the table of Fig. 8 undergoing interchange of position;

Fig. 10 illustrates a detail of the structure shown in Figs. 8 and 9; and

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic face view of the modification of the design capable of being handled by the simpler form of the device shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

As shown in Fig. 6, a complete single repeat A of the type of design to which the present invention is particularly adaptable, is divided across its width into a plurality of longitudinal strips Al, A2, A3 and A4, between the selvage edges B, B of the carpet C, by laterally spaced imaginary division lines b, b, b, which are parallel to each other and to said selvage'edges B, B.

In the instance shown, the design A as a whole includes four different motif containing areas, al, a2, a3, a4 arranged in different interchangeable positions in the strips Al, A2, A3 and A4 respectively at four different placements cl, (:2, c3 and 04 along the length of the carpet C within the single longitudinal full repeat A of the pattern as a Whole.

In each of the placements cl, c2, c3 and at the color requirements in each motif area al, a2, a3 and a l are exactly alike except for the positions of these areas with respect to the strips Al, A2, A3 and A4. Thus, in considering a representative transverse row of tufts 'dl, 032, d3 and d4 in the placements, cl, c2, c3 and 0-4 respectively, it will be noted that the only difference in these rows is that the group of colors requisite for the motif areas al, a2, a3 and ad in the strips Al, A2, A3 and A4 along the cll are bodily interchanged to the strips A l, A3, A2 and Al respectively along the line dzin the placement (:2; to the strips A2, Al, Ad and A3 along the row (13 of placement c3; and to the strips A3, A4, Ai and A2 along the row (14 of placement c4.

. From the illustration of Fig. 7 it will be clear that the rows of tufts ahead and behind the row dl, longitudinally of the carpet, vary from the row (ll by replacing motif figure tufts with background tufts and vice versa; and the corresponding rows in each of the placements cl, c2, c3 and 04 are alike except the interchange of position in the strips Al, A2, A3 and A4, as noted above.

From the above it will be clear that after the yarns for any single row are set-up, four similar rows with interchanged positions of the motif areasmay be set up merely by bodily interchang ing the groups of yarn spools.

In the apparatus disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the table I is divided into separate interchangeable sections la, lb, lo and Id to represent the strips Al, A2, A3 and A4 respectively.

The tuft yarn supply spools 2 are divided into four groups 2a., 2b, 2c and 2d and these groups are mounted on the table sections la, lb, lo and Id respectively.

Associated with the table sections la, lb, He and Id, are comb sections 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d respectively, through the dents or slots of which the yarns l of groups 4a, 4b, 4c and id are respectively led from the spool groups 2a, 2b, 2c and 211 to a tuft spool 5 (see Figs. 1 and 5) on which the yarns 4 are wound in laterally abutting relation to each other to form corresponding pile tufts of the transverse row represented by the particular tuft spol 5 being wound.

Each section of the table I is provided with a pair of front supporting rollers or wheels 6, 6 and a pair of rear wheels 'l, l arranged normally to rest and/or ride on fixed front and rear rails 8 and 8 respectively which are carried by a suitable rigid framework It].

Ihe sections la, lb, lo and ld of the table I re adapted to be selectively provided with a pair of front lifting wheels H, H and a pair of rear lifting wheels l2, l2 adapted to be engaged by and to ride on a front lift rail is and a rear lift rail M- respectively.

The front lift rail i3 is carried by an elevating frame l5 and the rear lift rail is carried by an elevating frame l3, each of which includes vertical slides H, H which are slidably mounted on the main rigid framework Ill in upper slide bearings l3, l8 and lower slide bearings IS, IS respectively.

Each lower bearing it) carries a bearing for a horizontal lift shaft 20 on which are secured gear wheels 2l, 2!. The gears 2|, 2i, mesh with gear racks 22, 22 carried by the slides ll, l'l' respectively.

Each lift shaft 26 is provided with a sprocket 23 for a coupling chain 24 by which the shafts it, 28 are rotated in unison to raise the elevating frames l5 and I6 evenly, to raise a selected one of the sections of the table I while maintaining it in a horizontal plane.

One of the shafts 20 is provided with a second sprocket wheel 25 for a drive chain 26 which also passes around a sprocket wheel 27 on the armature shaft 28 of a motor 29. Other mechanically or manually operable means for rotating the the elevating shafts 26, 25, may be provided in place of the motor 29, if desired, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The lift wheels H, II and l2, 12 are each rotatably mounted on a shaft 30 having a plain end 3| adapted to be inserted in an opening 32 in the table section; and a handle 33 on its opposite end by which the wheels may be readily applied to and removed from the table sections at will.

When an interchange of table sections is to be made, the lift wheels I l and l2 are applied to the table section which must be lifted above the other sections in order to be transferred to its new position; the motor 29 is operated to raise the elevating frames l5 and I6 which through their respective rails l3 and i4 engage the wheels II and I2 and lift the selected table section to an elevation above the extreme tops of the supply spools 2 on the other table sections, as shown in broken lines in Fig. l and in full lines in Fig. 3.

While the selected table section is held in an elevated position the other sections are shifted transversely, along the supporting rails 8 and 9, to their desired positions, leaving a vacant space for the raised section,

The raised section is then moved along the elevating rails l3 and M to a position over the vacant space in the main table I, after which this section is lowered into its proper position by reverse motion of the motor 29 until the supporting wheels 5 and l of the raised section rest on the supporting rails 5 and 9 respectively.

If it is necessary to lift more than one section of the frame, this may be accomplished by applying lift wheels thereto. This depends upon the positions in which the sections are initially and the positions to which they are to be shifted, In some instances it may be necessary to lift and shift one section at a time and to shift the others in the lower plane to make space for the lifted section in its proper place.

In order to eliminate the necessity for rethreading the yarns 4, 4 through the dents in the separating comb 3 each time a shift of section is made, the comb 3 is divided in four sections, as noted above, and each section is provided with pins 34, 34 adapted to be inserted in corresponding openings in a comb supporting bar 35, which latter is carried by brackets 35, 38 detachably and adjustably mounted in extensions 31, 31 of the main frame Iii.

When a section of the table I is to be shifted the section of the comb 3 through which the yarns 4 of the selected section pass is lifted off the supporting bar 35 and laid on the section of the table to be moved therewith into its new position, whereupon the comb section is replaced in the comb supporting bar in its proper relationship with the table section to which it belongs, without disturbing the yarns 4, 4 in the dents of the comb section.

When the proper shift of the table sections has been completed and their respective comb sections set in their proper places in the supporting bar 35, an empty tuft spool 5 is laid in position (see Fig. 1) between a set of turning rollers 40, 42!. The free ends of the yarns 4, 4 which are hanging out of the dents of the comb sections are then led across a guide bar 4| and started around the core of the tuft spool 5, after which, power applied to the rollers 4t, 48 rotates the spool 5 and draws the yarns 4, 4 off the supply spools 2, 2, respectively as the yarns are wound on the tuft spool 5.

Any desired number of spools 5 may be wound one after another with the same set-up, depending upon the number of repeats A in the yardage of carpet to be woven.

Obviously the supply spools 2, 2 may be replenished from time to time merely by lifting an exhausted spool off its supporting spindle 42, tying the ends of its yarn 4 to the end of the yarn on a fresh spool and placing the fresh spool on the spindle 42 in place of the exhausted one.

In that form of design shown in Fig. 11 an interchange of motif area may be made by dividing the table into but two sections le and If respectively, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, with the pattern. divided into two strips A5 and A6 respectively.

In this case the table sections to and if are pivoted at 45 and 46 to arms 41 and 48 which, in turn, are pivoted at 49, intermediate the pivots 45 and 46 to a rigid frame 5ft, whereby the two sections ie and I 7'' may be interchanged to opposite sides of a single, longitudinal center line b, in placements c5 and 06 respectively, (see Fig. 11).

Eaclnsection is and if is provided with a lug 5! adapted to be selectively entered in an opening 52 in a locking lever 53, .by which the two sections are maintained in a common horizontal plane after each interchange of position of the two sections and While the tuft spools are being wound.

We claim:

1. A setting frame for use in the Axminster fabric art comprising a sectional spool-supporting table, a rigid frame supporting said sections in a common horizontal plane, a vertically movable frame for moving selected sections into a vertically spaced parallel plane, means for connecting said selected sections to said vertically movable frame for separation from the other sections, said sections being mounted on said frames for relative lateral movement in said planes respectively.

2. A setting frame for use in the Axminster fabric art comprising a rigid main frame, an elevator frame slidably mounted on said main frame, means for raising and lowering said elevator frame relative to said main frame, a sectional spool-supporting table, tracks on said main frame, wheels on each section resting on said tracks and normally supporting said sections in a common horizontal plane, tracks on said elevator frame, and wheels adapted to be selectively applied to said sections to be engaged by the rails on said elevator frame to raise selected sections from said common plane into a planeparallel thereto, said tracks and wheels affording relative lateral shifting of the sections in said parallel planes respectively.

3. A setting frame for use in the Axminster fabric art comprising a sectional spool supporting the sections in a common horizontal plane, means for moving predetermined sections into a. relatively spaced parallel plane, and means in each of said planes affording relative shifting of the sections laterally.

4. A setting frame for use in the Axminster fabric art, comprising a sectional spool-supporting table, a rigid frame supporting said sections in a common horizontal plane, a. vertically movable frame for moving selected sections into a vertically spaced parallel plane, said sections being mounted on said frames for relative lateral movement in said planes respectively.

MONTGOMERY B. PENMAN. JOHN LYLE. 

